


Most Important

by rox2the_anne



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bisexual Simon Snow, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Investigations, M/M, Multi, No Smut, POV Penelope Bunce, POV Simon Snow, POV Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch, Private Investigators, Protective Simon Snow, Sad Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch, SnowBaz, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch Is Gay for Simon Snow, Vampire Hunters, Vampire Slayer(s), Vampires, Watford (Simon Snow)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 05:57:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17420357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rox2the_anne/pseuds/rox2the_anne
Summary: Simon Snow is a vampire hunter/ vampire investigator. Baz Pitch needs his assistance, looking into his mother's murder.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this fic! I had so much fun writing it. I never wanted to stop! Thank you for reading!!!
> 
> **I do not own these characters & some of these words.**

BAZ

 

I’m lying in bed, praying for sleep to come when I hear the noises.  
A creaking sound, then a soft howling wind.

I roll over on my side facing towards the wall and bring my pillow up over my ear. I just want to fall asleep. Damn my enhanced hearing. Can’t the world just shut the fuck up for one minute?

I hear the creaking again. Louder this time. I sigh, and toss my pillow to the side, making to get out of the bed to make sure the window is completely shut.  
I stand up and that’s when I see her. Right there. At the end of my bed. 

My dead mother.

SIMON

I walk to the bar by myself.  
It isn’t safe to let certain “people” see Agatha with me, and I don’t want to draw more attention to her than necessary. I told her that I had to come here to keep tabs on a vamp for a few hours, and she insisted on meeting me here to talk, claiming it couldn’t wait. The Mage is fairly certain that a woman that frequents this bar is going home with oblivious strangers in hopes of a good time, then draining them dry and robbing them blind.  
I’ve been working for The Mage for almost ten years now. I was the youngest member of The Mage’s Men, his vampire hunting organization, since its formation. He found me in a children’s home when I was 11 years old. He said that he knew who my parents were and that they were murdered by vampires. He brought me in and trained me to hunt and kill vampires; a way to exact my revenge on the monsters that took my life from me.  
The bartender slides a glass of white wine and a beer towards me, and I thank him with a tilt of my chin. When I get to the table, Agatha is waiting for me, and she looks annoyed. I place the wine glass in front of her and she all but sticks her nose up at it.  
“Is this well?” she asks me. I shrug my shoulders. Who the hell cares? She rolls her eyes and pushes the glass a couple of inches in my direction, letting me know that she won’t be drinking it. Alright then. I look around the room casually trying to get a twenty on my vampire when Agatha clears her throat. I look at her and raise my eyebrows.  
“Simon, I need to talk to you about something,” she says a bit shakily. I notice that she’s trembling a little too, so I take my jacket off and offer it to her.  
“Here, take this,” I say. She holds up a hand, halting me.  
“No, thank you. Please, keep your jacket, Simon.”  
“Don’t be silly. You’re cold and I’m hot. Just take it,” I say thrusting it at her a bit.  
“Simon, I think we should break up,” she blurts. She closes her eyes tightly, waiting for me to explode or something, but I don’t.  
I jerk my jacket back, knocking over the wine between us. Agatha stands up quickly and pulls something out of her purse to dab at a small wet spot on her skirt.  
It’s a handkerchief.  
I know who it belongs to before I even see the initials embroidered on the corner. I snatch it out of her fingers and hold it up.  
“Why do you have this?” I demand.  
Agatha looks at me with wide eyes, and her pale cheeks grow bright pink.  
“Why do you have it?” I repeat. She flinches a little, and I huff a small incredulous laugh. She’s behaving as though I would ever hurt her, as if I have a reason to be angry. Maybe I do…  
“Have you- Have you been seeing him behind my back?” I ask, raising my voice a little.  
“Simon, no. Of course not,” she hisses. Looking around at the people who have turned their attention to us looking for a show. She places a hand near her cheek to hid her face from their peering eyes.  
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I snap sarcastically, “How silly of me to think something like that. My girlfriend has only been carrying around a monster’s handkerchief for the past few weeks. Nothing fishy there.”  
She folds her arms tightly across her chest now. “It doesn’t mean anything.”  
I let out an actual chuckle this time. “Right. So, I’m supposed to believe that you carrying around his handkerchief and suddenly wanting to break up with me have nothing to do with each other?”  
Agatha just looks down at the table. “Simon…”  
“Answer me!” I shout. It comes out harsher than I wish it had.  
Agatha stands up and starts backing up from the table with a mixture of disappointment and disgust on her face.  
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m just-“ I bring my hands up and fist them in my curls.  
“What if I am seeing him?” she asks, and I feel like I’ve been slapped. I feel hot tears pricking my eyes.  
“Are you?” My voice is barely a whisper. “Please, don’t do this,” I plead. “You can’t leave me like this. You can’t leave me for one of them.”  
“It’s not just about him… I’m so sorry, Simon. I can’t do this anymore. Take care of yourself.”  
I ball my fists up in my lap and concentrate on the feeling of my fingernails digging into the skin of my palm. I’m going to kill that mother fucker. Registered or not, Baz Pitch is going to die. Soon.  
I finally look up from my lap and scan the bar again. I don’t see the vamp anymore.  
Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

SIMON

I lean against the cold brick of the apartment building and pull the hood of my rain jacket over my head. A regular at the bar tipped me off that this is where the woman I was supposed to tail lives, after I bought him a couple of drinks. This street doesn’t seem to get much traffic, and it’s started to drizzle, so there aren’t many passersby. I’m not exactly sure if the woman has returned home or not, but I decide to wait her out. I don’t want to go home empty handed. I look at the time on my phone; 21:24, and my phone is going to run out of battery soon. I’ll give it til 10, then I’m out of here.  
Fifteen minutes later, the drizzle has turned into a downpour, and I decide to head back to the barracks for a shower and some food. Really the barracks are just an old fire station, but The Mage likes to have military sounding names for just about everything. I’m surprised he didn’t christen himself The General or some shit like that. I push myself off the wall, and start walking towards the end of the street. I’m about to round the corner when I hear a crash. I look up towards the window I’ve been watching and see a light go off.  
I run up the stairs of the fire escape, coming to a stop outside what I’m hoping is the right apartment window. I can’t see anything inside. It’s much too dark and the rain isn’t helping one bit. I push on the sill, and the window slides up easily. I crawl inside as silently as I can manage and listen for anymore sounds. I slowly make my way out of the living room to a hallway that will hopefully lead me to my prey. I pause outside what I think is the bedroom and hold my breath. When I hear a muffled moan, I kick the door open and burst into the room. A young man, maybe a little older than me, is lying on the bed, bound and gagged. He’s bleeding profusely from a bite wound on his shoulder. Fuck, I was too late. I rush over to him and take the bandana out of his mouth.  
“Where is she?” I ask him, but before he can answer, someone jumps onto my back. Wrapping their legs around my torso and digging their nails into my chest. I stand up, running backwards and slamming the vampire into the wall. She lets go of me and falls on her arse.  
As I reach inside my jacket for the stake I brought for her, she kicks out at my legs hard, bringing me to my knees and crowds into me. She takes hold of my wrist and tries to force the stake into my throat. She is considerably strong, for a tiny female, but I’m stronger. I grab the stake with my other hand and quickly shove it through her heart. Blood oozes out all over me and a little bit squirts me in the face. I spit several times, in case any of the blood got near my mouth. She slumps over, half on top of me, and I push her off, then stand up to face the man on the bed.  
“Thank God,” he breathes in relief. I pull a business card out of the small pocket at my chest and toss it to him.  
“Penelope Bunce?” He reads, then looks up at me in confusion.  
“Get yourself registered, or I’ll be paying you a visit as well,” I tell him. 

When I get back to the barracks, I immediately go to the front office to ring Pen since my cell phone did indeed die. She doesn’t answer. Probably asleep, like any normal person should be. I leave her a voicemail. I tell her about the man I failed to save from damnation and tell her that if she doesn’t hear from him within the next couple of days to let me know so that I can take care of it.  
I sit down in the chair behind the desk, plug my cell into the charger and cradle my head with my hands. From this position, I get a good view of just how much blood is all over my shirt and jacket. It’s amazing that more people don’t call the police on me, really. I look up at the ceiling, moving my head from side to side to crack my neck. What a day. I still cannot believe that Agatha broke up with me. What am I supposed to do now? I suppose I can sleep here for as long as I need to. Pen told me that it was a bad idea to move in with Agatha three months ago. I should have listened.  
How could she do this to me? How could she leave me for Baz fucking Pitch? He’s a monster for Christ’s sake. He’s the enemy. He’s what killed my parents. Well, he didn’t kill my parents, but he may very well have killed someone’s parents. Or he could. He has the potential. They all do. I can feel myself fuming, so I decide to go take a shower and wash this God awful day off of me.  
My shirt is sticking to me with dried blood, and as I’m peeling it off, I hear the buzz of the door bell ring through the station. I don’t pay any attention to it. Someone else can deal with it. I finally get the shirt off and throw it in the bin. I take a moment to inspect the scratches across my chest. They look pretty nasty. Thank God, vampires can’t turn people with their nails.  
The doorbell buzzes again, several times in a row. I let out a small growl, then yell “Can somebody get that?” I don’t get an answer, so I storm down the stairs to answer the door myself. I wrench open the front door angrily.  
I can’t completely make out who is standing before me. The person is silhouetted by the street lamp behind him reflecting off the rain that is still coming down relentlessly.  
“Yes?” I bark.  
When the figure steps forward into the soft light of the foyer, I recognize him at once.  
Tall. Black hair dripping, falling loose around his face. Mouth curled up in a sneer.  
Baz Pitch.


	3. Chapter 3

BAZ

 

Simon Snow is standing before me, shirtless, looking rather ruffled. The cross necklace he always wears is on full display. He has scratches across his chest and I can smell the fresh blood on them. Why did it have to be him?  
“Snow,” I say by way of greeting.  
“Basilton Pitch, as I live and breathe,” he says with a smirk that tells me he’s quite proud of the jab. “If this isn’t kismet, I don’t know what is. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”  
I blink a couple of times at his words, eternally grateful that I don’t have the ability to blush. I shake all inappropriate thoughts from my mind. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I don’t particularly care right now either. It’s fucking freezing out here, and I’d like very much to get out of the rain.  
“Well,” I say. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”  
Snow raises his eyebrows briefly then sweeps his arm out grandly gesturing for me to enter, “Please.”  
I walk into the warmth of the building and take off my peacoat and hang it on the coat rack. Wool was a bad choice. It has a sponge effect and only made me feel even colder on my walk over here, but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight when I left my flat.  
“Are you going to tell me what the hell you’re doing here?” Snow asks, walking past me to sit on a puke green couch in what looks to be the common room of this…establishment. Several crossbow’s loaded with wooden stakes decorate the walls all around us. My throat feels tight at the sight of them, and I swallow hard. I look over at Snow instead. He leans back and puts his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. He closes his eyes, sighs and swallows. It’s a whole thing, and my breath catches in my throat for a moment.  
“I need your help,” I finally get out. Snow opens one eye, then two. He puts both feet on the ground in front of him with a thud and leans forward. He looks as if he isn’t quite sure he’s heard me correctly. “Well, not you’re help necessarily, but I do require the assistance of The Mage’s Men.”  
“Is that so?” Snow says, he has a huge grin on his face, and I cannot fathom what he finds humorous about what I’ve said.  
“Yes, it is,” I say. “So, what must I do? Fill out a form or something? How does this work?”  
“I’m not helping you, Baz,” Snow says slowly, as if he’s talking to someone exceedingly thick. He’s speaking to me the way I would usually speak to him, and I must say, I don’t care for it.  
“I said it didn’t have to be you,” I grind out through gritted teeth. “I do need someone with your type of expertise to help me though. It’s about,” I pause, not wanting to say the words out loud, but not having a choice. “It’s about my mother’s murder. New details have come to light very recently and I have reason to believe that her killer still walks.”  
“Look, Baz, you and I don’t get along. We never have. I was assigned to trail you, so you hated me, and I hate you because you’re a blood eating monster. It is what it is,” I’m about to start yelling at him that none of that should matter because my mother is the only thing that truly matters, but he holds up a hand to silence me. “Still, I could look past all that and help you find your mother’s killer, out of the kindness of my heart because she’s your mom, and it’d be the right thing to do. Under the right circumstances, that is. Unfortunately for you, I’m on to you, and the circumstances that we find ourselves in are not in your favor, so piss off.”  
I blink several times. I don’t think anyone has ever spoken to me this way before. What the hell is he on about? I haven’t done anything to him. I haven’t even seen him since last month when he was signing my registration papers to vouch for me as nonthreatening to humans. Snow followed me everywhere for months, convinced he would find dirt on me. He never did though. I’ve never hurt a human before. Hell, I’ve never hurt an animal either. I only eat animal blood, and I get that from a butcher. At the end of the lengthy investigation, he had no choice, but to sign for me, much to his dismay.  
“So sorry… what exactly are our circumstances, Snow? I’m not leaving this place with no help and no valid explanation.”  
“Agatha,” is all he says. The fuck?  
“Who? Is that supposed to mean something to me?” I ask.  
“Agatha,” he repeats, exasperated. “My girlfriend. Well, ex-girlfriend now, thanks to you.”  
Ex? Interesting. I reign in the smile that desperately wants to form on my face.  
“How exactly is that thanks to me?” Snow stands up and walks over to me, crowding into my space. He’s so close that our chests almost touch, so close that I can feel his breath on my neck.  
“Come off it. I know all about you two. The least you can do is be a man and own up to it,” he practically growls.  
“Know about us? Snow, I haven’t seen your girlfriend since your investigation. I didn’t even know her name.” Crowley, he’s an idiot. I don’t know what he thinks he knows, but he has got it all wrong. I’ll be damned if he’s going to deny helping me over some misunderstanding.  
“If you aren’t seeing her then why did she have your handkerchief in her purse today?” he asks with a smug expression like he’s got me there. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.  
“My handkerchief?” I muse out load. “Wait, the blonde right?” Snow nods. “She sneezed in your office while I was meeting with you once, and I handed it to her. I told her to keep it. I didn’t want it back after she contaminated it.”  
“Oh, fuck off,” Snow says grabbing my coat from the rack and thrusting it at me. He doesn’t seem convinced.  
“Snow, I’m not trying to pull your girlfriend,” he rolls his eyes and start reaching towards the doorknob. Panic starts to creep into my chest. “Snow I’m gay,” I practically yell at his back.  
“Gay?” he asks looking me up and down as if he’s trying to find physical evidence. “Are you sure?”  
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure. Are you done acting like an idiot now?”  
Snow stares at me for a little while longer, a huge grin slowly spreads across his face. It’s positively radiant. I look away. Snow starts laughing as he walks over and claps a hand down on my shoulder.  
“Boy is Agatha going to be disappointed,” he gushes, absolutely delighted by the idea. “Come on, mate. Step into my office.”  
“Do you want to go put on a shirt or something? I can wait,” I offer clutching my wet coat to my chest, as Snow takes a seat behind his desk. He looks up at me in confusion then down at his bare chest. “You look positively debauched.”  
Snow let’s out an amused exhalation then stands up. “I suppose I do, don’t I? Damn vamp-“ he cuts himself off, looking me in the eyes. “Uh, reach into that top drawer, would you? There should be a tee shirt in there.”  
I do as he asks and reach into the top of his filing cabinet. I hand him a wrinkled black shirt with some band’s insignia that I’m not familiar with. Snow pulls the shirt on over his torso, then sits down again.  
“Better?” He asks.  
No.  
I tighten my lips and raise my eyebrows attempting to look pleased. I probably just look as awkward as I feel.  
“Right then,” Snow begins, grabbing a pen from a cup. “Tell me again about this new evidence you have.”  
I’ve been dreading this part. I wish he could just take my word for it, but I know I have to tell him the truth. I decide it’s better to just get it over with.  
“I had a visiting tonight,” I tell him.  
Snow puts his pen down and levels his gaze on me.  
“Beg pardon?”  
“I said I had a Visiting. My mother, she… came to me. She said her killer walks, and that I should speak to Nicodemus and bring her peace.”  
Snow doesn’t say anything, just nods, taking in all I’ve said.  
“Ok then…” he says slowly. “Who’s Nicodemus? A vampire?”  
“I don’t know. I was hoping maybe you’d know.”  
Snow shakes his head. “No, I don’t know. Tell me again,” he says picking the pen back up. This time he writes down my words. “Anything else?” he asks, and I shake my head. “Not much to go on, is it?”  
I let out an aggravated sigh. “Isn’t this what you do for a living?”  
“Hey, don’t get testy. I’m just saying that it’d be helpful if you had anything to give me on Nicodemus,” Snow tells me.  
“I’m sure it would be,” I retort.  
“Right,” Snow says, standing up once again. He stretches his arms over his head and arches his back, groaning loudly. His shirt hitches up, and I can see a pale stripe of skin underneath which brings to mind his bare chest that I no longer have to imagine. “Well, I’ll get started on this first thing in the morning,” he tells me, walking towards the door that leads outside. “I’ll let you know if I find anything out, yeah?”  
“Wait,” I say turning around to face him. “I want to help with the investigation. She’s my mother. You aren’t doing this without me.”  
“Baz, that really isn’t how we do things…” I give him a withering look and he trails off.  
“She’s my mother,” I repeat.  
Snow sighs and drags a hand through his unruly curls. “She’s your mother,” he agrees.  
I start putting on my coat and Snow lifts up the collar of it to give me easier access. I look at him, a little surprised by the gesture.  
“See you in the morning then,” I say, stepping out into the rain.


	4. Chapter 4

SIMON

The next morning, I’m standing in the kitchenette, making tea when the doorbell buzzes.  
“It’s open,” I call, grabbing my cup and making my way to the foyer to meet my visitor. It’s Baz. He’s earlier than I expected. It’s barely 8 o’clock. I walk over to him. He looks better today; less frazzled and he’s dry. His long hair is slicked back, making him look more like the monster within. Suddenly, I have to odd desire to reach over and muss it up a bit.  
“Earth to Snow,” he says, and I snap to attention.  
“Uh, sorry,” I mumble. “I spaced out for a sec; late night.”  
“Well, it’s a good thing I brought this then,” he says, offering me a paper cup that smells deliciously of coffee. “It’s just black. I wasn’t sure how you take it,” he adds as I take the cup from him.  
“Wow, that’s… really nice of you,” I tell him.  
“I don’t appreciate the tone of surprise at my ability to do something polite,” he sniffs. “Besides, I need you alert for our investigation today.”  
Of course, Baz can’t do anything that isn’t 90 per cent selfish. I roll my eyes and walk back to the sink of the kitchenette. I dump my tea in it, then turn to speak to ask Baz if he wants anything while I’m in here. He’s closer than I thought he would be which startles me, and I jolt back a bit. He smirks at me and quirks an eyebrow up.  
“Jumpy, Snow?”  
Ignoring this, I take a step back from him. He frowns.  
I take a sip of the coffee he brought me. It’s delicious; damn him. I can practically feel the tension in my body release as the warmth and caffeine flood my body. I smile at him, and he immediately averts his eyes. As if seeing me look happy is painful for him. I let out a small growl.  
“What’s your problem?” Baz asks me.  
“What’s your problem?” I repeat back to him.  
He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “Look, Snow, I don’t want our petty feud, or whatever this is to get in the way of what’s important here.”  
I furrow my brow in confusion. “And what’s important here?”  
“My mother,” he practically shouts. He holds out a hand to me. “Truce.”  
“Truce?”  
“Yes, truce. You do know what that means, don’t you? No aggression, until we’re finished with our investigation and my mother’s killer has paid for what he’s done.”  
I take his hand in mine. “All right, fine. Truce.” We shake hands once then I add, “Temporarily.”  
He snatches his hand out of mine as if he’s been burned, and I wink at him. 

 

BAZ

My traitorous stomach does a very undignified flip at the sight of Snow winking at me. I take a deep breath and follow him into his office. I am far too familiar with The Mage’s Men’s “barracks” for my liking. I had to spend more time here than I care to remember giving accounts of basically my entire life to various men in green uniforms. Snow doesn’t wear the uniform. I’m not sure what makes him so special, but more often than not, he’s wearing jeans and a tee shirt and some sort of jacket or sweatshirt with a hood. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he was The Mage’s son, but I do know better. I know Snow’s whole tragic life story. It’s almost as tragic as mine. His parents were killed by vampires before he was old enough to remember them. He was surrendered to a care home and lived in them until he was 10 or 11, when The Mage, a family friend, finally found him and turned him into a killer.  
I know all of this because I asked around while he was working as my case worker. Case worker is the politically correct term The Mage gives to his minions that spy on vampires for a living and take them out if they step out of line. Simon was mine, and I had to see him every day. We rarely spoke, but he was always there. He’d be at the coffee shop, the grocery store, the post office, even outside of my classes at uni sometimes.  
Then when I finally rid myself of him and became what is referred to as a registered dark creature, I found that he was still there. Not physically, but in my thoughts throughout the day and in my dreams at night.  
Blue eyes.  
Bronze curls.  
The fact that Simon Snow is the most infamous vampire killer in the country. That nothing can hurt him, not even me.  
And I’m hopelessly in love with him. 

 

SIMON

Baz is sitting in a chair in front of my desk staring at me with the oddest expression on his face. I guess he didn’t get enough sleep either. I’m about to ask him if everything is all right when the phone rings, startling the both of us. I look at Baz and we both let out small, uncomfortable laughs.  
“Hello?” I say into the receiver.  
“Simon?” It’s Penny. She always says my name like a question. Like she didn’t call my cell. Like she doesn’t know my voice.  
“Yes?”  
“I just talked to Agatha,” she says, and my face grows warm. “Why didn’t you tell me you guys broke up?”  
I look over at Baz, catching his eye. He looks down, suddenly very interested in his hands, and begins picking invisible dirt from under his nails.  
“I needed time to process. Besides, I did try calling you, but you didn’t answer,” I say defensively.  
“Well, what the hell happened? Did she have a good reason for dumping you? Where did you sleep last night? Are you all right?”  
“Penny, slow down. Now’s actually not a good time. I’m with a… person,” I say, not entirely sure how to explain Baz’s presence. Baz looks up at me, surprised. He looks like he’s not sure if he should be offended or not. I wave my hand towards him in a gesture that I hope tells him he shouldn’t be.  
“Are you with a woman? Simon, did you sleep with someone else last night? Where are you?” How does Penny think of so many questions so quickly? My God, it must be exhausting being her.  
“What? No, I’m with a client, and I’m sorry, but I really, really don’t have time for this,” I let out a sigh, and hang up the phone.  
My cell phone buzzes in my pocket and I groan.  
PB: You really, really had better call me.  
PB: Today.  
I turn my phone off, and pocket it.  
“Bunce?” Baz asks.  
“Yep.”  
“Is she coming then?”  
“Coming?”  
“Well, she’s going to help us with the case, isn’t she?” Baz asks as if it’s obvious.  
“Oh,” I deflate a bit. That hadn’t occurred to me. “I suppose, I could ask her. I’m perfectly capable of handling this on my own, you know.”  
“Stop looking for a fight,” Baz snaps. “I wasn’t insulting you, Snow. I just know that she has a reputation for cracking tough cases, and I want to be sure we’re utilizing all of our resources here.”  
“That…” I begin, then sigh. “Makes sense. I’ll fill her in on what we know when I call her later.” I open a new document on my computer and make two columns. What We Know & What We Don’t Know.  
“So, what do we know?” I ask, turning my attention back to Baz. He’s craning his neck, trying to see what I’ve typed. “Oh, here,” I say, scooting my own chair over to make room for his. He slides his to my side of the desk, next to me. This close I can smell his posh cologne, cedar and bergamot, I believe. He leans forwards and a few strands of hair fall across his cheeks. He tucks it behind his ear, and without a word, he reaches over and starts typing. He puts Nicodemus under what we don’t know, and August 12, 2002, under what we know.  
“You were only 5,” I whisper. “Do you remember anything?”  
“Some,” is all he says.  
“Right, so, what we know is that an organized gang of vampires came to Watford University that day, for some unknown purpose, and killed your mother,” I say this as delicately as I can. “And that you were there… and that’s when you were Turned. Correct?”  
Baz nods. “They actually came into the nursery. They were feeding on the children when my mother came in to stop them.”  
I make a small note of this on my computer.  
“Do we know why she started the fire?” I ask, turning to face Baz. Confusion clouds his expression.  
“Fire?”  
I have Natasha Grimm-Pitch’s file on my desk, so I open it up and take out the newspaper article I read last night. I slide it over to Baz, and he snatches it up.  
  
Vampires At Watford University  
Natasha Grimm-Pitch Perishes in Fire after defending nursery from Dark Creatures  
  
“I’ve never seen this. Why haven’t I seen this?” he asks accusingly. I just shrug. How should I know? He looks back down at the article and begins reading out loud:  
“Days before autumn term… blah blah blah… Mistress Mary, an eye witness… blah blah blah… states that one of the beasts had bitten Grimm-Pitch from behind…she yelled for another caretaker to take her son from the scene…proceeded to set the nursery on fire with the use of a can of air freshener and a lighter, killing all dark creatures still inside, including herself.”  
A can of air freshener and a lighter. I have to admit, I was quite impressed when I read that. That’s fast thinking. Baz’s mother must have been brilliant. She’d have made an amazing Hunter, I’ll bet.  
“She sounds like a badass…” I cut myself off when I get a look at Baz’s expression. He looks heartbroken. “Hey…” I begin, not quite sure what to say. I place a hand on his shoulder, and he shakes it off.  
“I didn’t know that,” he says, staring blankly ahead. “I didn’t know she was bitten.”  
Oh, shit. She killed herself because she couldn’t imagine living as a vampire, as a monster. I can understand that, but Baz… This must really hurt. I reach out to touch his shoulder again. This time he doesn’t shake me off. Instead, he stands up, and heads straight for the door.  
“I need to get out of here,” he says without looking at me. “I need air. I need…”  
The door slams before I can hear what else he needs. I sit at my desk for a moment before I decide that he probably shouldn’t be alone right now. He doesn’t seem emotionally stable on a good day. Who knows what he’ll do now?

 

BAZ

“Oi! Oi, Baz! Wait up,” I hear Snow calling me from almost a block away, but I don’t turn around, and I don’t look back. I do slow my steps, just a little. Because I’m weak. Because I can’t deny him anything. He picks up the pace and catches up with me easily.  
“Baz,” he pants, grabbing the sleeve of my coat to stop me. I yank out of his grip.  
“What do you want, Snow? I want to be alone. Was that unclear to you?” I sneer down at his hunched over form. He should work out more. Doesn’t he chase monsters all the time? This can’t be good for business.  
“Look, I know you’re upset,” I roll my eyes, but he keeps on. “What happened to your mother… it’s fucked up. I know how it feels. Trust me, I know… You can’t check out though. Your mother came to you for a reason. Come back with me and let’s find the fuckers who did this and bring your mother peace.”  
Crowley, he’s right. I can’t argue with him when he’s being so reasonable and… comforting? Why he doesn’t just let me disappear, and continue the investigation on his own, I have no idea. I should think he’d be thrilled to not work on the same side as a vampire anymore.  
I look down at the ground and give a small nod of my acceptance. Snow beams at me, tilting his head down so that he’s in my vision, and my heart skips a beat.  
“Now let’s get back to the matter at hand and find this Nicodemus,” Snow says, taking me by the bicep and tugging gently. “We’ll find him, and we’ll get him to give us all the missing pieces, yeah?”  
“And what if he doesn’t?” I ask, looking up at him.  
Simon shrugs casually, “Then I’ll kill him.”  
And I’m the monster.


	5. Chapter 5

BAZ

We’ve been pouring over papers, articles, computer files and books for almost four hours now. There is nothing at all in this whole building, or on the internet, about someone named Nicodemus in our area. I slam the last yellow folder down on Snow’s desk and heave out a sigh.  
“Nothing,” I tell him. “What do we do now?”  
Snow looks up at me from his seat on the floor. He’s surrounded by papers and folders.  
“I’m hungry,” he says. “Let’s go get some food.” Of course. Food is his answer to everything.  
“I’ll pass,” I tell him. “I don’t want to stop until we’ve got something to go on.”  
“Baz,” Snow practically whines. “We’ve been working all day. There’s obviously nothing in here. Let’s take a break and work out a different approach.” He holds a hand up to me, silently asking for me to help him up and I oblige. Once he’s standing, he squeezes my hand and tugs me towards him.  
“Come on, Pitch. I’ll buy you a kebab.”

 

SIMON

We walk into Ebb’s place, and I tell Baz to find us a place to sit while I go order our food. He keeps insisting that he doesn’t want anything to eat, but I’m not too keen on hanging around a hungry vampire if I can help it.  
When it’s my turn to order, Ebb smiles broadly at me.  
“Simon! I haven’t seen you in a few days. How are you, dear?”  
“Can’t complain,” I lie. I don’t want to tell her about my split with Agatha just yet. Something about the sympathetic look in her eye tells me that she may already know though. Jesus, did Aggie make the rounds or what?  
“Who’s your friend?” She asks me, tilting her head pointedly in Baz’s direction. I look over my shoulder at him, and he smiles at us tightly.  
“New client,” I tell her.  
“He’s handsome,” she adds wiggling her eyebrows. I feel my cheeks warm up.  
“Yes, I suppose he is,” I agree. I sneak another look back at him, and he is messing with his phone, grinning about something he’s looking at.  
“Simon, did you hear me?” Ebb asks, waving a hand in front of me to get my attention. I blush even harder, and really hope that Baz didn’t just catch me staring at him also.  
“God, I’m sorry Ebb. What’d you say?”  
“I asked what I can get you guys,” she tells me with a little smile.  
“Two kebabs,” I say. Just then, my stomach growls loudly. “Each,” I add.  
“Sure thing, dear,” she says, moving to grab our food.  
As I’m waiting for her to come back, I take a look around her counter. There’s a framed picture of Ebb and a man that I’ve never paid any mind to.  
“Say, Ebb,” I call. “Who’s this handsome fellow with you in this picture?”  
“Huh?” She asks, as she places a tray in front of me. “Oh, that’s my brother. Nico.” She starts tearing up a bit, and I almost regret asking her, but then…  
“Nico, huh?” I push. “Interesting name.”  
“Short for Nicodemus,” she tells me, and I feel goosebumps raise on my arms and the back of my neck. “He’s, uh…” she says sniffing, and wiping her nose on her sleeve. “He’s no longer with us,” she says, then she looks around to make sure no one is listening to our conversation. “Vampire,” she whispers to me, and my blood goes cold.  
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” I say. I’m trying to be polite, but I’m dying to tell Baz what I’ve just learned.  
I reach for my wallet, and Ebb stops me.  
“It’s on the house, dear. Good luck with your new client,” she winks at me, and I thank her quickly.  
When I turn around, I see that Baz is already standing, ready to go.  
Right. Vampire hearing.

BAZ

“Are you sure this is the right place, Snow?” I ask for the third time. He doesn’t answer, just gives me a withering look. We’re standing in a filthy alley that smells of garbage and vomit. A small breeze picks up, and suddenly, I smell it. I smell them. Vampires. There’s a distinct smell to vampires, like old blood and something else, something inviting to humans, and too sweet to other dark creatures. This is definitely the right place.  
“Just stay close to me, and let me do the talking,” Snow says to me as we approach a rusty door. I scoff, but he gives me a look that tells me he means business, then it softens. “Please,” he adds.  
He knocks on the door three times, and it immediately opens about four inches. Someone has their eye to the gap, and when they see Simon, it widens, straining the chain on the lock.  
“Mr. Snow,” the man’s gravelly voice says politely. “We wasn’t expectin’ you tonight.”  
“Surprise inspection,” he says coolly.  
The door slams in his face, then opens all the way. The door man gestures for us to come in. Snow walks in without a word of thanks, and I follow suit. He takes a right, then a left, then heads down a stair case leading to a large, dark room filled with vape smoke and electronica music. How cliché.  
Everyone in this place is a vampire aside from Snow. It’s a testament to his reputation that no one approaches him, or even gives him a nasty look. They respect him, I realize. I, on the other hand, receive several confused or amused expressions from the patrons. They’re probably wondering what the two of us could possibly be doing together.  
Snow walks up to a young man at the bar.  
“Good to see you again,” he tells him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. My insides constrict a little at his show of affection for this person.  
“Mr. Snow,” the man looks surprised to see him. He looks over at me, and nods, reaching to shake my hand. I don’t take it.  
“You see Penelope yet?” Snow asks him.  
“Yeah, I did. The next day, actually. She’s been very helpful. Thank you,” the man is obviously very nervous. I’m not quite sure what’s happening between them.  
“Very good. I see you know who I am now,” Snow says, taking a seat next to the vampire, then pulling out the stool on the other side of himself for me to sit in.  
“Ms. Bunce filled me in on who you are, and what you do. You have quite a reputation,” he says sounding impressed. I don’t like this guy. “I’m Reith, by the way.”  
“Reith,” Snow repeats, testing it out. “Well, you know who I am. This,” he says placing a hand on my shoulder, “is Basilton Grimm-Pitch.”  
Reith dips his chin down at me. “I’ve heard of you as well,” he tells me.  
I don’t answer. I’ve never heard of him, nor do I care to. Reith looks back to Snow.  
“I’m sorry,” he says looking around nervously. “Are you- are you here for me? Have I done something?”  
“Hmm?” Snow hums. “No, I’m not here for you. I had no clue you’d be here.” I’m ashamed to admit, this news picks my spirits up a bit. “Perhaps you can help us with something though,” he says lowering his voice.  
“Sure,” Reith says brightly. I roll my eyes. Overeager bastard.  
“We’re looking for someone,” Snow tilts his head towards me to emphasize who “we” is. “Nicodemus, or Nico. Heard of him?”  
“Aye. I’ve heard the name,” Reith says. “He may be in the back room, but you didn’t hear it from me.”  
“Sure, sure,” Snow tells him, getting to his feet and patting his arm. He tosses a business card onto the bar. “Give me a call. I’d like to talk about a business proposition with you.”  
Reith pockets the card and nods at Snow. When he looks at me, I sneer, and he quickly looks down at his drink. Snow pulls my stool out as I stand and places a hand on the small of my back. I stiffen a bit at the contact, but I don’t move away. Snow begins walking and guiding me towards a doorway in the back of the room.  
We approach a burly vampire leaning against the door frame.  
“Nico,” Snow says to the man. At first, I don’t think he’ll answer. He looks between Snow and me a couple of times before jerking his chin towards the room behind him.  
“Pool tables,” he mutters.  
Again, Snow gives no thanks; just walks past the giant vampire like he owns the place. There are two men playing pool in the very back of this room. Snow and I make a beeline for them.  
“Nico,” Snow says again. They both look up curiously. The darker one though, takes one look at the two of us, puts his cue stick down, and walks away.  
“Guess that makes me Nico,” the blonde man says. He grins at us and I can see that his eye teeth are missing. The image makes me instantly uncomfortable and a little nauseous. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Snow,” he tilts his head getting a better look at me, “Mr. Grimm-Pitch?”  
I take out a pack of fags from my coat pocket then light one of them up with a match. As I do this, Snow levels a hard gaze on Nicodemus.  
“We’ll be asking the questions, mate,” he tells him.  
The grin slips from Nicodemus’ face, and he stands up a bit straighter.  
“What do you want from me?” he asks.  
“We want to know who killed my mother,” I tell him. My voice is stronger and surer than I really expected it to be. I feel like I haven’t said anything for hours.  
“You already know who killed her.” He pushes his tongue into the empty space of one of his missing teeth. “Vampires, wasn’t it? Everyone knows the story. Killed her, turned you.”  
I flick an ash onto the felt of the pool table and he flinches back, instantly losing his cool demeanor.  
“Tell me the rest,” I demand. “Who sent them?”  
Nicodemus grins devilishly, then tips his chin towards Snow. “Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?”  
Snow steps between Nicodemus and me. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” For a moment, I think he’s offended by the fact that Nicodemus just called him my boyfriend, then he adds, “I don’t know anything.”  
Nicodemus fakes a look of shock, “You mean he didn’t tell you?”  
“Who didn’t tell him what?” I growl, stepping around Snow. “Stop fucking with us and tell us what you know.”  
“’Fraid not, Mr. Grimm-Pitch. It’s not worth my life to tell you.” He turns from me, picking up his stick, and bending over the table to hit the cue ball. “If I tell you, I’ll be killed for sure. You’re real threatening, coming in here with your hot shot lover, and smoking your cigarettes, but you haven’t followed in Mummy’s footsteps yet, and I don’t think it’ll be tonight.”  
Suddenly, Snow rushes over to Nicodemus, grabbing him by the collar, and producing a stake from the back of his waistband.  
“Tell him who sent them, or I’ll kill you myself,” he snarls.  
Reith casually walks up beside me and chimes in. “He’ll do it, mate. I’ve seen him.” How the fuck does he know Simon? I want to yell at him to piss off and mind his own business, but Nicodemus seems to take this to heart.  
“All right,” he sputters. Snow releases his grip on him and lowers the stake. He looks at Snow for a moment, then at me. “It was The Mage.”  
“Bullshit,” Snow growls.  
“Why would I lie to you? I lie to you, you find out, you kill me.” Nicodemus takes a deep breath and throws his hands up. “He came to me, asking if I could get a group together to do the deed, and I refused. I’d never do that to Fiona.” I swear my heart stops at the mention of my aunt’s name. “And that’s all I know,” he continues. “I don’t know why. He didn’t get into specifics, and I didn’t ask.”  
I’ve heard enough. I flick my cigarette onto the pool table and turn to leave. I hear Nicodemus gasp and throw his drink over the smoldering butt.  
“Your sister misses you,” Snow jeers behind me. 

 

SIMON

I catch up to Baz in the alley. I know he hears me running behind him, but he doesn’t turn around. Is this what it’s always going to be like with him? Him constantly running away, and me chasing after him.  
“Baz, wait,” I say reaching out and grabbing his elbow. He jerks out of my grip and starts walking faster. I grab his arm roughly this time, and spin him around to face me. “Will you just wait a damn second? Talk to me,” I yell.  
“I don’t want to talk to you, Snow,” he grits out through bared teeth, I can see his fangs poking through. “I’m done talking to you. I’m done talking to vampires, I’m done with all this shit. I’m going to talk to the one person I should have gone to for help in the first place.” I don’t know why, but my chest feels tight at his words, and I really don’t want him to leave me like this.  
“But Baz,” I say raking a hand through my curls then across my face. “I thought- You and I…”  
“You and I NOTHING,” he screams in my face. He brings both of his palms up to my chest and shoves me away from him. I lose my footing and go sprawling on the ground with a tooth rattling thud.  
“Baz, what the fu-“  
“Why don’t you just go fuck Reith and leave me the hell alone?” he bellows. There are tears streaming down his face, and I want more than anything to get up and go over to him. I don’t though. He told me to leave him alone, and I will.  
I stay on the ground and watch him leave.  
Fuck Reith? What the hell is happening right now?


	6. Chapter 6

BAZ

I ring the doorbell three times, then start pounding on the door furiously. I don’t care if you’re sleeping, I think. Answer the fucking door.  
Finally, it opens and light floods the hallway.  
“Baz? What is it? What’s wrong?” Fiona asks, she looks panicked and half asleep.  
“I need to talk to you,” I say, pushing past her into the flat. I walk into her living room and sit down on her couch. I immediately feel on edge, so I stand back up and begin pacing the floor.  
“Ok, let’s talk then,” she says, sitting on an armchair, lighting a cigarette.  
“I spoke to your friend Nico tonight,” I tell her. She stops trying to light the cigarette and looks up at me as if I’ve got two heads.  
“Nico?” she whispers hoarsely.  
“Yes, don’t try denying that you know him. I don’t care about that. What I’m interested in is that he claims The Mage was the one who orchestrated the vampire attack on Watford. Can that be true?”  
Fiona’s eyes go wide as she stares at me for a few moments.  
“Holy shit,” she says as realization dawns on her. “Holy shit!” She stands up and goes to her room. I follow her. She’s on her hands and knees in front of an old trunk, rooting around for something.  
“Here,” she says, handing me a folder. “This will have the answers you’re looking for.”  
I sit down on her bed and dump the contents of the folder beside me. I pick up a legal document and start reading.  
I can’t believe it.  
“He really did it,” I croak, looking at Fiona.  
“I should have known, Baz,” Fiona says shakily. There are tears in her eyes. “It was right in front of me the whole time. The fucking Mage.”  
I cross over to her and kneel beside her, wrapping her in my arms.  
“We know now,” I tell her. “That’s what matters.”  
“He can’t get away with this, Baz,” she says into my shoulder. “What can we do?”  
“Leave that to me, Fi.”  
She sits up straight and takes my face in both of her hands.  
“No, Baz. You’re not to go after him, do you understand? He’s too dangerous. Especially for… someone like you. Promise me you won’t go after him alone.”  
At once, Snow’s face flashes in my mind.  
Snow. Should I tell him that I have confirmation that what Nico says is true? Will he believe me? Will he still be on my side of things when it comes down to it?  
No, I decide. He would never team up with me against The Mage. The man practically raised him. He can do no wrong in Snow’s eyes. I won’t tell him. I can’t. I can’t risk the rejection, and I can’t trust him enough with this information. I need to find someone else to help me.  
But who?

 

SIMON

As I walk back to the barracks, I go over the events of the day. I can’t think of anything that I could have done to upset Baz. Why did he push me away like that? Literally. I decide that he must have just been lashing out at the closest person and it just happened to me. It’s not personal. He was just upset in general.  
Then why are my feelings so hurt?  
Why are my feelings so hurt?  
I shake my head in an effort to physically erase the memories and feelings like I’m some sort of human Etch a Sketch.  
“Ah, Simon!” I look up and flinch. The Mage is standing right outside the front door with his keys in his hand. “I was just looking for you,” he says.  
“You were?” I ask dumbly.  
“Yes, yes,” he says clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Come in here, would you? I’d like to have a chat.”  
I swallow a hard lump that’s rising in my throat and nod, following him inside.  
We sit on opposite sides of the dining room table. Neither of us says anything for several minutes.  
“You wanted to talk to me?” I remind him.  
“Yes, it’s just,“ he starts then stops himself, clearing his throat. “Simon, I hear that you’re keeping interesting company.”  
I laugh, trying to keep things light hearted. “Am I now? And who might that be?”  
“I think you know, Simon,” he says gravely.  
I grin and shake my head. I add a shrug to drive home my innocence. The Mage just sighs.  
“Simon, I don’t want you hanging around the Pitch boy. He’s… Well, you very well know what he is. He’s not like us. His family… they have different views than you and I have.”  
I’m starting to get pissed. I ball my fists up and put them in my lap under the table. Who the hell does he think he is? He can’t tell me who I can and can’t be around. I’m not a child and he is not my father.  
“With all due respect, sir, I don’t see how it’s any of your business. I’ll hang out with Baz if I want to. He’s my friend and he needed help with something today-“  
“What did he need your help with?” The Mage interjects.  
“Um, he wanted help with an investigation,” I say simply. He pierces me with his eyes, and I know I’m treading on dangerous ground.  
“What investigation?” he probes.  
“I really shouldn’t say,” I tell him. “Client confidentiality, you know.”  
“Stay out of it, Simon.”  
“Beg pardon?” I say trying my damnedest to quirk my eyebrow up the way Baz does when he wants to make me feel small.  
“I said stay out of it. Basilton can’t be trusted. I want you off his case,” he’s coming undone at the seams, and I know I’ve got to get out of here now.  
“Right,” I say nonchalantly, getting to my feet. “Will that be all?”  
Before he can even answer me, I turn on my heel and storm out.


	7. Chapter 7

BAZ

I feel like I’m on autopilot my whole walk home. Buildings, cars and faces just blur together as I pass. I feel so lost. When I arrive at my flat, I unlock the front door, and climb the stairs without ever looking up. When I reach my floor, I almost trip over him.  
Simon Snow is sitting on the floor with his back leaned against my door and his eyes closed.  
“Snow,” I say softly, nudging him with my foot. He blinks awake and looks up at me in the darkness. The expression on his face may very well break my heart.  
“Um, hello,” he says awkwardly as he stands up next to me.  
“What are you doing here?” I ask.  
For one fucked up moment I imagine him telling me that he was worried about me. I imagine him pulling me close and kissing me. Then I would spit on his face and lick it off. Because I’m disturbed, ask anyone.  
“Look, I know you told me to leave you alone, but I don’t think I can do that,” Snow says. He looks nervous, biting his lips and shifting from one foot to the other. “And for the record, I didn’t fuck Reith either.”  
“Why not? Couldn’t catch him?” I snap.  
Instead of arguing with me, he shakes his head and laughs. He’s saying something now, but I’m not listening. I’m just thinking about kissing him.  


 

SIMON

Baz isn’t paying attention to me. I asked him if we could go inside and talk, and he didn’t answer. I told him that I wasn’t interested in that Reith guy, and that I only wanted to offer him a job as an informant, and he still doesn’t answer. He’s just standing there, staring into space. I wish we could start this day over. I just want to start it all over. 

 

BAZ

I watch Simon’s mouth move, but I’m still not hearing him.  
My own thoughts of what they might feel like are too loud.  
I’ve never kissed anyone before. I was afraid I might bite them accidentally, or worse, on purpose. I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone, but Snow. From the first day I met him, I’ve imagined what his mouth would feel like against mine.  
Maybe I should kiss him now. I should kiss him and tell him to piss off.  
“Simon…” I say.  
And then HE kisses ME.

 

SIMON

I grab the front of Baz’s coat in my fists and I pull him even closer to me. I’m pressing my mouth to his, and he’s bringing his hands up into my hair, tugging lightly, smashing himself up against me. I want him to open his door and invite me in. I want to stay like this with him all night. I want to know he’s with me, and that no one is hurting him, and that he isn’t hurting anyone.

BAZ

I have no idea what I’m doing here. I don’t even know if this is a good kiss.  
I’m guessing it is, because I’m enjoying it immensely.  
Snow’s mouth is burning hot against my own.  
He’s crowding into me, and I’m pressing myself on him.  
I can sense more than feel his cross pressed between our chests. It’s sending small shocks through me, but I ignore it.  
Snow’s pulse is racing, and I can feel his heart hammering against my ribs.  
There are so many things happening, it’s almost a sensory overload.  
That is until Snow opens his mouth a bit, inviting me inside. When I feel his tongue against my own, it kills every thought in my mind except for one.  
Simon Snow.

 

SIMON

Baz’s mouth is cold on mine. So cold.  
It’s because he’s a monster, I think. Then, No, he isn’t. He’s just a boy.  
A vampire.  
I’m kissing a vampire.  
I’m kissing Baz.  
He’s so cold, but I’m getting hotter. 

 

BAZ

Snow breaks away from me for a brief moment, growling and shaking his head like some sort of animal. I take the opportunity to get my key in the door and push it open. I turn back to face him. He’s breathing hard, and his hair is a wreck.  
“Would you like to, uh-“  
Snow cuts me off with another kiss.  
He wraps one arm around my waist and cradles my head with the other hand. 

 

SIMON

If Baz thinks I’m ever going to stop kissing him, he’s wrong. I’m not going anywhere. I like him like this. Under my thumb; under my hands. Not in skeevy vampire bars, not disappearing and plotting.  
Finally, I think. I’ve got you right where I want you. 

 

BAZ

Snow has done this before, I think as he deftly navigates my flat without breaking our kiss.  
He’s moving his chin up and down, tilting his head, and pushing me backwards right into the couch.  
I don’t do anything. I just let him go.  
He lays down on my couch and pulls me on top of him.

 

SIMON

Baz takes me by the shoulders, and pushes me up, off of him.  
I almost start apologizing, but then he roughly pushes my jacket from my shoulders, and I shrug out of it. He kisses me again, then looks down at my chest, letting out a small growl. I’ve never heard anything so sexy.  
I look into his eyes. I hope he wants this as badly as I do. I think he does.  
Baz reaches for my shirt collar and yanks it down. With his other hand he reaches down and tugs at the chain of my cross. It snaps easily, and he tosses it to the floor. I follow the movement, and when I look back at Baz, he’s giving me a look that I know means he’s about to attack.


	8. Chapter 8

BAZ

I wake up before Simon does, though I don’t dare wake him. I just watch him sleep. It feels so unreal having him here. Finally.  
He’s still lying on the couch, and I’m sitting next to his legs, looking down at him.  
The sun is shining through the window behind us, and his bronze hair looks like a halo. I spot a mole on his neck that I’ve fantasized about kissing many, many times, so I do.  
“Just because we’re making out, doesn’t mean you get to watch me sleep, you creepy weirdo,” he tells me without opening his eyes. I roll my eyes even though he can’t see.  
“Time to get up, Snow,” I say, lightly pushing on his thigh. He opens one eye and smirks at me.  
“You called me Simon before,” he says.  
I fold my arms across my chest. “I most certainly did not.”  
“You did,” he says sitting up, placing a hand on my cheek. “You called me Simon, and I liked it.” He leans over and presses his lips to mine. He starts trailing his free hand up my side to my shoulder and pulls me towards him.  
“Wait,” I say putting a hand on Snow’s chest. He keeps kissing my face, my jaw, the corners of my mouth. “Wait a second.”  
“What?” he pulls away to look me in the eye.  
“Don’t you think we should talk about something, or someone, I suppose I should say.”  
Simon scoots back a little and sighs. “The Mage,” he says. I nod. “That’s actually why I came here. I saw him last night.” I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “He was at the barracks waiting for me when I got back. He told me not to help you; said I should stay away from you.”  
I huff out a small, mirthless laugh. “Crowley, Snow, you don’t listen to anyone do you?”  
“I listen to myself. It’s been working out pretty well so far,” he says smiling at me.  
“Did you ask him about…” I begin. Snow shakes his head.  
“I didn’t have to. He practically started squirming when I told him I was helping you with an investigation. I believe he did it. Nico wasn’t lying.” My heart swells uncomfortably in my chest at Snow’s words. He’s on my side. He’s actual on my side about this.  
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” I say calmly. “I came upon some evidence that I believe can really help us make a case against him.”  
Simon winces a bit, and I pause.  
“Is there a problem, Snow?” I ask.  
“No, not a problem. I was just wondering,” he begins, arranging himself so that he’s now sitting on the couch properly. “Is it completely necessary for me to carry on with this? You have what you need, yeah?”  
My blood begins boiling in my veins. “What do you mean, is it necessary? I need your testimony. It’s our word against his.”  
“Right,” he says, carding a hand through his hair. “You’re right. I’m sor-“  
“I think you should leave,” I tell him.  
“Leave?” Snow leans forward and looks up at my face.  
“Yes. Now,” I tell him. I don’t need some fair-weather friend. I need someone I can count on. This is too important.  
“Baz, please don’t do this,” Snow says, taking my hand in his. “I shouldn’t have said that. I just… I don’t have any family. The Mage is… I don’t know. Let’s just. Let’s don’t do this. I don’t want to lose sight of what’s important.”  
“Nothing is more important than my mother,” I shout.  
I stand up and soothe the wrinkles from my shirt, pulling on my sleeves. When I face Snow again, I coolly say, “I trust you can find the door on your own.” Then I walk away from him, closing my bedroom door before he can see the tears falling. 

 

SIMON

I walk quickly to my flat, not wanting to go back to the barracks in case The Mage is still there. I realize too late that I’ve forgotten my keys at Baz’s flat. They were in my jacket pocket, which is probably still crumpled on the floor next to the couch. I try not to remember how it got there.  
Fuck Baz.  
I’m fucking done.  
I tried. I really did, but there is just no making that guy happy. Funny, I thought misery loved company. I reach up and knock on my own damn door both hoping that Agatha is and isn’t home. She is.  
“Simon,” she says, opening the door. “What are you doing here?”  
“My stuff is here,” I say.  
She moves aside, letting me in and shutting the door behind me. I go straight to the kitchen to make something to eat.  
“So, how are you? How’ve you been?” Agatha asks, hovering awkwardly. I let out a very large, dramatic sigh that is very unlike me.  
“Ags, I one hundred per cent did not come here looking to have an uncomfortable conversation with you. I love you,” I say looking her in the eyes, “I always will love you, but you were right to break up with me, and I’m glad you did, ok? I just want to eat and change my clothes in peace, all right?”  
Agatha looks at me in shock. For half a second, I think I may have been too harsh, but suddenly, she’s rushing at me and throwing her arms around my neck.  
“Oh, Simon, thank you for saying that,” she says into my shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re in a bad mood, I love you too. I’m going to go all right? Take as much time as you need.”  
“Thanks, Ags,” I say looking down at her pretty face, giving her a small squeeze. “Try to stop being so understanding and wonderful, ok?” She smiles and nods at me, then she goes.  
I let out another sigh. I reach up for the cereal in the cabinet and my phone buzzes in my back pocket. I throw the cereal down and pull the phone out as quickly as possible. My heart sinks into my stomach when I see that it isn’t Baz.  
PB: I thought we were meeting Basil around lunchtime?  
SS: We are  
SS: Were  
SS: Why?  
PB: I was just driving by on my way to work, and I saw Basil walking in.  
I drop my phone on the counter and rush out the front door as quickly as my feet will carry me. When I make it outside, I slam into Agatha.  
“Leaving already?” she asks me.  
“Agatha, I need a ride,” I tell her.


	9. Chapter 9

BAZ

I walk into the barracks hoping against hope that Simon Snow isn’t here.   
Fuck Snow.  
I sigh out loud.  
And fuck me too.   
I shouldn’t have kicked him out. He didn’t mean what he said; I know he didn’t. He tried to take it back immediately. I know damn well the man has no filter. He just says every single thought that comes into his brain.  
What he said was moronic, yeah, but Snow is a moron. So.  
I shouldn’t have been so hard on him. What is wrong with me? Why do I push everyone away? I don’t want to push Snow away. Quite the opposite.   
I take a look around the barracks, but I don’t see anyone here.   
“Hello?” I call into the silence. “Snow? You here?”  
No answer.  
Perfect. I figured I would have a good chance of no one being here during luncheon hours. I climb up the stairs to where I know The Mage’s office is. The Mage. Such a stupid name. What kind of mage does he even think he is? Like, is murder somehow magic now? What? He makes people disappear?  
I open the top drawer of The Mage’s desk and start looking around, careful not to disturb anything too noticeably. I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for. I just know that I’ll know it when I see it. Anything with my mother’s name, or perhaps the court subpoena matching the one that belonged to my mother.   
She was trying to stop all of this, my mother. She was trying to take him down. She didn’t think that The Mage and his vigilantes had any right to play judge and jury to the vampires in this country. She hated them, the vampires. I know that she did, because why else would she have set herself on fire after she had been bitten? Still, she knew that The Mage and his Mages Men was a gross injustice to life and the legal system. Vampires are still people. They should be tried and sentenced just like everyone else.   
My contradictory thoughts, mixing my own feelings with what I can only assume were my mother’s is beginning to make me quite anxious. I take a seat in The Mages roller chair and try to catch my breath.   
“Comfortable, Mr. Grimm-Pitch?” A voice from the doorway asks. How did he get so close to me undetected? Maybe he is a mage.

 

SIMON

Agatha pulls up in front of the barracks, and I’ve got my door open before she’s even come to a complete stop.   
“Simon,” she shrieks, as I go to slam the door.   
“Go to Penny’s office straightaway. Ring the police on your way there. Tell them to get here as soon as possible,” I instruct. Then I do slam the door. I run to the front door of the barracks. It’s locked. I quickly wrap my shirt around my fist and break the glass on the door. I reach in with my other hand and unlock it.   
I hear muffled voices coming from upstairs. I grab a crossbow off the wall in the living room and make my way to The Mage’s office. Once there, I kick open the door, and aim my crossbow.   
The first thing I see when I step into the room is Baz behind the desk. He has his teeth bared, fangs out, and he looks as if he’s ready to pounce.   
Then, I see The Mage; his back is to me. He’s pointing a stake at Baz’s heart and crouching down a bit in a fighting stance.   
Baz jerks his head up to look at me when I enter, The Mage takes advantage of the distraction, and lunges for Baz with the stake targeting the center of Baz’s chest.  
“Freeze!” I bellow. The Mage stops moving, and so does Baz.   
“Simon,” The Mage breathes out. “You see? I told you he couldn’t be trusted. I came into my office, and he was here waiting to attack me.”  
I look to Baz for him to confirm or deny, but he does neither. He just stands there as still as a statue. I’m not even sure that he’s breathing at this point. He looks into my eyes, and we stare at each other like that for a few heartbeats.   
“What are you waiting for, Simon?” The Mage asks me. “Shoot him! Shoot him now!”  
I don’t take my eyes off Baz as I tell The Mage, “I can’t.”  
I lower the crossbow and take a small step forward.   
“Well, I can,” The Mage rumbles. He snatches the crossbow from me and aims it at Baz.  
I stop thinking.

 

BAZ

Faster than humanly possible, Snow pulls a wooden stake from the back of his waistband, brings it quickly across his chest and expertly thrusts it into The Mages heart.   
Instantly, he’s on his knees pulling his father figure into his arms, and sobbing.  
“I’m sorry,” he cries. “I’m so sorry.”  
I rush over to him and wrap my arms around him tightly. The smell of the blood is almost too much for me. It’s everywhere. On The Mage, on Snow’s hands and chest, on the floor in an ever growing puddle pooling around our feet. My fangs have descended farther than they ever have before, and my mouth feels so full, it’s painful. I don’t let go of Snow, though. I can’t.  
“It’s all right, love. Everything’s going to be all right,” I murmur in his ear.   
We stay huddled together over The Mage like that until I hear the police sirens. I look up at Snow’s face in alarm.   
“Go,” Snow tells me, and I just shake my head. Like hell I’m leaving him like this. Simon growls at me, then pushes on my chest. “Go, Baz. This is your fault. Get out of here.”  
I do.


	10. Chapter 10

PENELOPE

We sit there together, in the police station, I’m not sure how long. We’re both long past the point of sorrow and exhaustion. Simon doesn’t say much. Just sits there silently, staring at nothing and holding onto my hand for dear life. Like it’s anchoring him.   
My mother, the police chief, has already assured us that Simon won’t be going to jail. It was obvious that what Simon did was in self-defense. We found The Mage in his office, covered in blood, clutching a loaded crossbow.   
I’m still not exactly sure what happened today, and I haven’t told anyone that I saw Basilton Pitch, running down the alley, away from the barracks as Agatha and I pulled up in her car. 

 

SIMON

I wake up the next day at 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Penny’s bed. I didn’t want to go back to the barracks to sleep. I never want to go back to that place again, if I can help it.   
I tried calling Baz. Several times. At first it rang and rang, now it just goes straight to voicemail.   
I hope he’s all right. I hope he understands that I don’t blame him. I just knew the police would. They would have thrown him in jail without listening to either of us, or pulled out his eye teeth, or staked him.  
I’m attempting to ring him again when I hear a knock at the front door. Most likely it’s Agatha. She’s been calling and texting to check on us all through the night and all day today. I have 14 unread messages from her. I make my way to the living room and I see Penny. She’s standing in front of the door, blocking whoever she’s talking to. I walk up behind her to get a better look.  
It’s Baz.   
“Let me in Bunce,” he’s saying, voice cracking. “I just need to see Simon.”  
He looks like a wreck. His eyes are all pink and puffy, I’ve never seen his hair so unkempt or his clothes so ruffled.  
“Let him in, Pen,” I say. They both jolt a little then face me. Penny moves to the side, and Baz immediately rushes at me, wrapping both arms around me.   
“I’m sorry,” he sobs. “I’m so, so sorry.”  
“I’ll go make some tea,” Penny says, excusing herself and disappearing into the kitchen.  
Once she’s gone, I pull away from Baz and look up at his face. He’s scrambling to compose himself, apparently embarrassed at his extreme show of emotion just now. I reach up and put a hand on his cheek, wiping tears away with my thumb.   
After a moment of quiet, Baz meets my eyes. “You saved my life,” he whispers.   
“I just did what I had to do,” I say with a small shrug.   
“Snow, you sacrificed everything for me. You were so brave, and so selfless,” he tells me, coming closer and resting his forehead against mine. “Thank you.”  
I feel a little guilty about him thinking of me as some sort of savior. I know I saved his life and all, but I wasn’t thinking when I did it. I wasn’t thinking at all. I didn’t make some kind of hard decision. There was no time. I just acted purely on instinct.  
Baz’s life was in danger, and that just couldn’t be.   
“I’m not a hero, Baz,” I tell him, and I can feel my face crumpling.   
“You’re my hero,” he says, “You’ll always be my hero, Simon Snow.”

 

BAZ

Snow’s face is completely unreadable. His expression is dark and stony. For a moment, I’m terrified that he’s going to tell me that he thinks I should leave; that he doesn’t want me. I square my shoulders and push out my chin, preparing for the blow.   
I can take it.   
I just wanted to see that he was all right, and I have.   
As long as he’s all right, I can take anything.  
The blow doesn’t come though. Instead, Snow closes the distance between us, shoving his mouth against mine. I instantly melt into the kiss, pushing back and bringing my hands up to his face and neck. This kiss is wild. It’s messy and urgent, not like the soft gentle kisses we shared the other night. I don’t back down though, and neither does he. We just press together as close as we can get. Our teeth click together several times and I silently pray for no blood.   
He pulls away from me panting. I don’t step away from him. Instead I bring a finger up under his chin and look him in the eyes.   
“I love you, Snow,” I tell him, and it feels so good to get it off my chest after all this time.   
Snow doesn’t leave me in suspense. A huge grin instantly blooms across his face, making my heart race and a warmth pool in my stomach.   
“You called me Simon before,” he says, leaning in to kiss me once again. I pull back slightly, kissing the moles on his forehead, his cheeks, his jaw, then his neck. “And I love you too,” he adds.  
He throws both of his arms around me and rests his forehead on my shoulder.   
“Baz?” he says.   
“Yes, love?”  
“How would you like to go get a kebab with me?”  
I smile at him and nod.   
He heads to the bedroom to get his shoes and coat, and I wait by the front door. When he comes back, he takes me by the hand, and I know that everything is going to be all right, and that this… This is what is most important.


End file.
